planting plans ...DONE

Planting plan around the hot tub deck, 1 of 12 plans for project 3.




Final straight is in sight amazingly. Planting plans completed this evening and VW sheets all tarted up beautifully to look elegant and professional.

It did occur to me that whilst I am struggling away vociferously through the course and the trials it has brought, I have in fact learnt and ENORMOUS amount and am incredibly proud of the work I have achieved, ok so it's not perfect but it's first stages of a new career, it's not likely to be perfect, just yet anyway. I suppose that is something else I have learned how to let go of being perfect and to prioritise enough to get things complete.

The exhibition preparation might even get a whole 5 days...maybe 4 is more realistic though.

Kuler

Just saw this fabulous little tool which should help with some colour combos in later projects.

"Discover Adobe® Kuler™ — the web-hosted application for generating color themes that can inspire any project. No matter what you're creating, with Kuler you can experiment quickly with color variations and browse thousands of themes from the Kuler community."

So Kuler it is!

From Colour

Original posting from Tracy McQue whose blog (http://mcquegardens.blogspot.com/2010/02/somewhere-over-rainbow.html) is filling up with useful tips.

Planting Planning

Project 2 has been completed and much to my surprise, I have managed to catch up and complete it this evening. Tomorrow it will be bound and delivered to 'Teach', one day ahead of deadline. PHEW. A slight nagging feeling that it can't really be this straight forward but I am quashing that as simple nerves!

This section of work is a specification document, which will be used in a tendering process and along with it all the associated drawings - a Key Plan, Cascade Drawings (Drainage, Setting out, Levels, Paving) and of course Planting plans.

The Planting plan took me a good deal longer than I thought it would and after two false starts, one involving the full rendering of the plan before I realised it fulfilled nothing that I had set out to achieve. Being a confirmed plant-aholic it is hard to limit myself to the 20 species recommended. If I am honest I went over a little but not too wildly. It is a process of learning the balancing of grouping and labeling and this one is not perfect but it I find it pleasing and am hoping that those marking it agree with me!

From Finished Drawings

Tomorrow we have an afternoon of feed back on the Hard Landscape portfolio and the Bespoke portfolio handed in 10 days ago which will be fascinating to see the work of peers and find out how well, or not, mine went down.

Orchard Dene Plantswoman

I enjoyed the morning of presentations from Chris Marchant of Orchard Dene nurseries. She's the main reviewer of our soft landscape portfolios so probably someone to impress with our plant knowledge and depth of understanding when it comes to the 'green decorating'.

CM was utterly impressive, Latin plant names rolling off her tongue like a native she whipped through travel snaps of planting combos in far away places, directing us all to observe wherever we go. Which is of course great advice as we build the palette of ideas for future works.

The afternoon was located at the nursery, which was a mare to find for some reason, Daniel took us to the house NOT the nursery which was a mere stones throw away to a local, quite a bit further to a non-local. On arrival the acres of block planting was very exciting for a plant-a-holic like me.

It was great to hear about the running of the commercial nursery, from order taking through to pick and delivery. Then of course the skills required to schedule all the propagating and plant care that they undertake.

From 2009_10_23

A potted version of 'how to soil prep, layout (below) and then plant your planting plan....

From 2009_10_23

and if you can't for some reason then how to ensure your contractor does it right, (ok does it your way!) giving your 'green decorations' the best possible chance to get growing once planted.

From 2009_10_23

Funny to hear comments from CM that completely contradict D's point of view, which he had warned us about, another step in the "listen to the advice and then make you OWN choices"

Fabulous nursery, really glad to have met CM as no doubt she will be invaluable as a resource in the future.

Planting planning

D said very early on no knowledge of plants in required for this course, it is not about horticulture and I begin to see how on could be a garden designer and Not know a thing about plants.

The basic principles are that there a 5 plant sizes represented in circles (to scale) 2m down to 300mm, trees are shown as a black cross but assumed to be 5m+ canopy, climbers shown in solid triangles and bulbs as shade over an area... the central point, tip or cross marks the planting spot. These shapes are laid out pleasingly in the sketch plan and same species/cultivar circles are grouped with a linking line. This is still a theoretical plan as no plants are actually assigned yet, it is still in the space design level of the process.

From 2009_11_10

Actual plant combos can the be 'copied' from successful designers and books such as the RHS Planting Combinations by Tony Lordor Piet Oudolf - Designing with plants

Remarkably simple and no doubt efficient in reality if a little uninspiring for the plant-aholics in the group.